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Derrick Williams, a La Mirada native who grew up going to games at the Forum with his mother, signed a 10-day contract with the Lakers on Friday. The No. 2 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2011, he’s had stints in Sacramento, New York and Miami before finishing last season in the NBA Finals with Cleveland. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

DENVER — The phone call that woke Derrick Williams at 4:30 a.m. on Friday was one he had been waiting for most of the week, but also for his whole life.

After some paperwork issues slowed the process, the Lakers were signing him to a 10-day contract and he needed to get to Denver.

“It is just a dream come true,” the veteran forward said. “I am from Los Angeles and being able to put on a Lakers jersey, that is the best thing, any kid … It doesn’t matter how old you are, your hometown team, that is the best thing.”

Williams, a former client of Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka, was called into action to give the Lakers depth on the wing while Brandon Ingram recovers from a strained groin that has kept him out for four straight games.

Coach Luke Walton said Ingram told him on Friday he is feeling better. He is scheduled to be evaluated again in the coming days, but his timetable remains vague.

“I didn’t really ask him about when he thinks he will play,” Walton said. “(I’m) busy with what we got going on. It would be nice to have him, but if he is not ready then we won’t play him.”

That opens a door for Williams, a La Mirada native who grew up going to games at the Forum with his mother. The No. 2 overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2011, Williams had stints in Sacramento, New York and Miami before finishing last season in the NBA Finals with Cleveland. He spent part of this season in the Chinese Basketball Association, playing for the Tianjin Golden Tigers.

He played his last game there on Feb. 11, returned home, and waited for an NBA team to call.

After Ingram suffered his injury in Miami, the Lakers became interested in signing him.

“We tried to get Derrick a couple of days ago,” Walton said, “but we had to wait for paperwork from China. Otherwise it would have been nice to have him right when Brandon got out but the paperwork got delayed.”

The deal finally went through on Friday morning, and Williams got to Denver in time to suit up against the Nuggets.

Over seven seasons with five teams, Williams has posted averages of 8.9 points and four rebounds.

YOUNG KINGS

As talk of billboards has swept Los Angeles, Isaiah Thomas got in the car on Thursday and went in search of some roadside advertising.

Thomas’ sons, Jaiden and James, are appearing in a national advertising campaign for the fashion brand Sean John, and could be seen posing with the sons of Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony.

“It was nice to see them up there smiling and looking good,” Thomas said. “I knew where it was going to be, because they said the dates it was going to be out and it’s in a few different cities as well. But I went by there yesterday because I had some time and it happened to be up there. It was a dope moment. It was nice.”

Thomas said the photo shoot was in December in Atlanta. On Thursday, he tweeted a photo of the billboard, “My young KINGS got a billboard up in LA!!! God is so good.”

To be clear, Thomas said this was not a reference to the billboards aimed at another “king,” LeBron James, that popped up this week in anticipation of his game against the Lakers on Sunday. Those four billboards, paid for by Lakers fan and prominent attorney Jacob Emrani, have received plenty of buzz.

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“Had nothing to do with LeBron James,” an amused Thomas said Friday morning.

An All-Star and MVP candidate in Boston last year, Thomas spent the first four months of this season in Cleveland with James, appearing in 15 games after missing the beginning of the season with a hip injury.

“People are trying to get him,” Thomas said of the marketing campaign to lure James. “It’s interesting. You might as well try to do everything you can to get a guy like that on your team.”

I.T. FOR A.I.

Thomas played his first game since changing his number from 7 to 3.

“One of my favorite players of all time wore 3, Allen Iverson,” Thomas said. “So when (Corey Brewer) left I had just inquired about whether I could change my number because I definitely didn’t like 7. My options when I got traded weren’t any options that I liked.”

Thomas wore No. 3 in Phoenix and Cleveland, while sporting 22 in Sacramento and 4 in Boston.

“Eleven’s always been my favorite number,” Thomas said. “I wore that in high school, so I just haven’t had a chance to be able to wear any of those numbers really with the teams that I’ve been on.”

Bill Oram covers the Los Angeles Lakers for the Southern California News Group. He covered the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune. He is the (usually) bearded guy in the background wearing a University of Montana hat.

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